Vodka and Ghosts
by NoDakGrl
Summary: This is in response to the Drunk Cop Challenge by Elizabeth Anamon. Sara goes off the wagon to have a drink with her "friends" when she gets a surprise she wasn't planning on.


_**This is in response to the Drunk Cop Challenge by **__**Elizabeth Anamon**__**. It's kind of morbid, kind of funny. I hope you like it.**_

* * *

She wasn't supposed to be doing this. 

She promised everyone that it wasn't going to happen again.

Sara sat in the dimly lit bar, off in a corner booth, with a bottle of cherry vodka and a short glass on the table. Pouring a glassful, she lifted the drink to her lips and drained it dry.

_Where are you Sara?_

Just having a drink with my friends here, she thought. Looking at the empty seats, she saw the ghosts sitting there: Cassie, the stripper was sitting to her right. The slash on her neck still looked fresh, but her face was peaceful, as if the worst was over and she could rest. Ryan, the teen boy ambushed by his former friends, was sitting across from him. He smiled at her with a lopsided grin, the back of his skull caved in by the repeat blows by a hammer. Eddie, the homeless man sat to her left. He looked nervously around as he ate his sandwich. The wrapper with the smiley face was on the table, facing Sara as if to reassure her that all was well. Next to Eddie was Marlon, Hannah's brother. The only inclination that all was not well with him was the bruising around his throat where the noose was. Sara didn't want to look at him, though he tried without fail to show her that there was no hard feelings, that all was forgiven.

Refilling her glass, she saluted "her friends" and downed the second drink like the first.

These were her ghosts, the friends that she held dear. Old cases that were solved, not all to her liking, but ones that she couldn't let go of. Sometimes she drank with them, other times she drank with Holly. Still others she drank with her dad. The regulars to the bar didn't pay her much mind. The waitress came by every so often to check on her, and that was about all the live contact she had.

_Where are you Sara?_

She offered a drink to her friends, but they couldn't drink it even if they wanted to. They never spoke to her. They just looked at her with pleading eyes, wanting to be anywhere but there.

_You're a pretty sucky host, you know that? Even your imaginary friends don't want to hang out with you._

With half the bottle gone, Sara knew that she was getting way past her limit. She was thankful that she wasn't working for a couple of days, because the effects of the vodka was coming on strong, the hangover was going to be even worse. She poured another glass, and smirked as she brought the glass to her lips.

"Sara?"

Snapped out of her haze, she looked up at her new visitor. At first, she thought it was going to be her dad, because he was the only ghost that could speak to her when she got drunk. She squinted at the dark haired man, _No he's too short to be Dad,_ she thought to herself. She shook her head and almost fell off her chair. Strong arms grabbed her, preventing her fall and bringing her to her wobbly feet.

"Sara, what are you doing?" It was Nick. Of all the people that she didn't want to have seen her in the state that she's in, it would be him that would show up.

"I dunno," she slurred. "I'm just havin a drink wif my friensss," she started leaning to the side as the room seemed to turn on it's side all of a sudden. Her ghosts were still sitting there, not looking at Nick, their attention completely on her.

"Sara, what are you talking about? You aren't sitting with anyone." Nick's eyes were dark with concern for his friend. He sat her down in her chair and took Marlon's chair and brought it close to her. Marlon looked relieved and soon disappeared.

"Marlon? Nick, why'd you have to do that? It's rude to take someone's seat." Sara pushed away from Nick as he tried to get closer.

"You are not making any sense."

"Aww, just have a drink, Nick, you'll see them soon enough." Sara tried to pour another drink, but Nick took the bottle from her hand.

"I think you have had enough, Sara." Nick looked at the bottle. "This thing's almost empty, did you drink all of it?"

Sara grabbed the bottle, and tried to focus on looking at the label, then gave up on that to see how much was left in the bottle by tipping it to look inside the bottle. Of course, doing this caused her to pour the remaining liquid on her face.

"Aww, man I can't believe this." Sara scowled. "My shirts all messed up now."

Nick stood up and grabbed Sara's arm and put it around his neck. She stood up with great difficulty. The room was tilting again, and she didn't like that. The vodka in her stomach was starting to bubble and she needed to get to the bathroom. Her face went pale and Nick knew what was going to happen next. He rushed her to the bathroom and as soon as she got into the stall the cherry vodka made a second appearance. Dark red vomit went everywhere, except in the toilet. It looked like blood splatter against the toilet seat and stall walls.

"Smooth move Exlax" Nick laughed. "Maybe next time you puke IN the toilet, not around it."

"Oh, shut up and give me a paper towel." Sara growled as she looked down at her blouse. The vodka vomit needed to get washed out quickly, and not thinking, she started to undress, paying no mind of Nick, who in seeing what she was doing averted his eyes so as not to see her state of undress.

Nick was a gentlemen, but he had to admit that it was difficult in keeping his eyes off her smooth pale skin and the black lace bra. She handed her blouse to him.

"What exactly do you want me to do with this?"

"It's got to get rinsed right away or it'll stain. I don't have many shirts, and I happen to like this one." Sara used the paper towel to wipe off her mouth as Nick rinsed the shirt in the sink. Watching him bent over the sink did something to her. She couldn't get over how caring he was. Most guys would have just waited outside the door, but he stayed by her side.

He wrung out the shirt, turned on the dryer, and laid the shirt over the nozzle so as to dry the shirt completely. He turned to her and smiled.

"So now what are we going to do?"

She smiled as she tried to walk to him, but instead fell into his arms. She looked up at him, studying his face as to have seen it for the first time.

"Well, how about we get you out of this," as she started to unbutton his shirt. "And talk about the first thing that pops up?"

_I'll probably regret this later….. but who cares? _ Nick thought to himself as he drew her closer to him, finding her mouth with his own.

The line got pretty long outside the bathroom, but the noises that were coming out made the people that were waiting decide that they really didn't have to go _that bad_ and return to their seats. The bartender, kept an eye on the door and one on the clock, noting to himself that if they didn't get out of their in another 10 minutes he was going to have to interrupt their business.

Fortunately, for him they came out before then. Sara tried to walk out normally, but failed miserably. Nick was tucking in his shirt as they walked out and tried hard not to look at the smiles on the regulars faces. They were totally busted, but they didn't care.

As they walked to the front door to hail a cab, Sara looked back and saw that they ghosts were gone, but right beside her would be a friend that would remain.

"So where do you want to go?" She nuzzled his neck as they waited for the cab.

"That depends," Nick drawled. "Do you want to get something to eat? Or would you rather _talk_ some more?"

"Let's go to my place, and we can do both."

* * *

_**Yep, I'm Snickers all the way. This is my first Snickers pairing, let me know what you think.**_


End file.
